Just Pay the Overtime

June 6, 2016

To the Editor:

In “Overtime Rule May Get in Way of Dream Jobs” (front page, May 31), you say that new overtime rules are “more than an economic challenge for the companies that rely on the willingness of young, ambitious workers to trade pay and self-respect for a shot at a prestige job down the road.”

The article quotes bosses saying their young staff need to work exceptionally long hours with no overtime pay to show off their skills and begin to build a professional network.

I have two critical questions for these sources. How did those who began working 30 to 40 years ago develop their careers? Adjusted for inflation, the new overtime threshold is roughly where it had been in 1975, the last time it was updated. And if nurturing young workers’ careers is so important to these bosses, then why not just pay them overtime?

You report that “demonstrating aptitude” for a bigger job “can require extremely long hours.” So simply pay the overtime.

HEATHER BOUSHEY

Washington

The writer is executive director and chief economist of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.